Holder for bottles and the like



NOV- 17, 1964 R. w. RAMsBoTHAM 3,157,317

HOLDER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 28, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l -IN VEN TOR. l ROBE yRT W. RAMSBOTHAM ATTORNEYS Nov. 17, 1964 R. w. RAMsBoTHAM HOLDER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-.Sheet A2 Filed Aug. 28, 1961 INVENTOR RoaEm' w. RAMsao'rHA'M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,l57,3l7 HLDER FR Et'iliild AND THE LiKE Robert W. llamsbotliam, Bristcl, Conn., assigner, by rnesne assignments, to Landers, Frary d: Claris, New britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 28, 1963i, Ser. No. $45285 l Claims. (Si. 222-133) A further object is to provide a capless holder for ICC @il by the interiitting of its tongue 36 into the cooperating recess 3S. As best seen in FlG. 6, the valve stern receiving portion itl `has an abutment 42 therein to engage the end of the valve stem and a discharge passage del eX- aerosol bottles and the like having the aerosol valve stern and the valve actuating member disposed substantially within the casing at one end and having an easily operable removable closure at the opposite end thereof for replacing the expended bottles.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempli ed in the construction hereafter set forth and the Scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FG. l is a perspective view of an aerosol bottle holder in accordance with the present invention having portions of lthe components broken away to showvinterhal construction;

FlG. 2 is a bottom view of the holder in FIG. l;

FLG. 3 isa sectional view along the lineS-S of FlG. 1;

FiG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section to an enlarged scale of the upper casing wall assembly;

PIG. l5 is enlarged fragmentary front elevational view partially in section; and

PEG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view partially in section and similar to FlG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there "is illustratcd a holder embodying the invention and incorporating an exemplary aerosol bottle 2 having a closure l with a neck portion 6 and a valve stem 3 through which the contents of the bottle are discharged under pressure.

The holder utilizes a tubular casing lll having'a pair or" reversely bent flanges 12 at lthe upper end thereof providing opposed lips spaced inwardly from the outer wall or" the casing. A decorative cap le of generally U-shaped cross-section extends about the periphery of the upper end and is secured thereon by stakinU nibs le into apertures 18 in the flanges l2, as best lshown in FIG. 4.

The bottle 2 is stabilized within the casing 1li` by the spider member 2t? which has a base portion 22 and a pair of upstanding legs 24 conforming to the contour of the casing and having their upper ends wedged between the lips i2 and the outer wall of the casing liti. The neck portion 6 of the bottle closure 4 is received within an .aperture 26 in the base portion 22 surrounded by an inwardly tapering lip Z7 extending upwardly of the spider n Z@ to provide a leading edge for guiding the stem 3 and neck 6 of the bottle closure into the spider.

Slidably seated in the upper end of the casing it) above the spider member 2li is a valve actuator generally desighated by the numeral 2li and which is conveniently astends laterally therefrom to the exterior. Seated in an enlarged bore i6 at the outer end of the discharge passage ad is a discharge nozzle 1E-l which registers with and extends through a vertically elongated discharge aperture Sb in the side of the casing lllwhich accommodates the vertical movement of the valve actuator 23 during depression and release thereof in dispensing liquid from the bottle. Spaced outwardly from the valve stern receiving portion di? is a coaxial stop collar SZ which abuts against the bottle closure l to limit downward movement of the valve actuator 23.

Release-bly engaged upon the bottom end of the casing l@ is a bottomclosure member 5ft having a planar bottom wail :5:6 and a generally U-shaped peripheral flange S3 which receives the end of the casing 10. Pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the bottom wall 56 is an elongated locking cam lever eti having a bearing rib 62, conveniently formed by stamping. The lever titl is secured to the inner end oi the sternod o the tingerpiece 56 which extends through the bottom wall S15. An annular bearing uti on the stem ed reduces friction between 4the iingerpiece do and the outer' surface of the bottom wall 56. if so desired, a slot (not shown) may be provided in the lingerpiece 66 for receiving the blade of a tool or a coin to turnthe ingerpiece, although the use of a tool is not necessary to facile operation.

As best seen in FlGS. L3, turning of the ingerpiece 66 results in engagement of the locking cam lever 60 in opposed locking slots 'itl formed in the casing wall and spaced upwardly from the bottom end thereof. Although only one locking slot may be employed (particularly for si .iple structures of circular cross-section), the locking of` both lever ends into a pair of opposed slots is preferable for greater strength in assembly.

The outer leg of the U-shaped flange 58 on the bottom closure member concealsthe slots 7@ in the casing wall and also may function as 'a stop to prevent over-rotation of the cam lever ell. When softer metals are employed for the'k closure member 5d, it is desirable to stake upstanding stop nibs '7i in the bottom wall which are in the path of cam locking lever rotation and prevent over-rotation thereof so as to avoid binding of the cam locking lever into the sott metal of the iiange 58.

The aerosol bottle 2 is resiliently supported and spaced upwardly from the bottom wall 5d and cam'locking lever o@ by a cushion 72 of compressible material to permit free movement of the locking cam lever 6d. lthough the cushion 72 may be provided simply by a pair of resilient elements spaced from the path of rotation of the Cain lever, 'the illustrated embodiment having a pair of feet 74 connected by a bridge portion 76 beneath which the Cani locking lever ou rotates has proven highly satisfactory due to simplicityof assembly and disassembly. The parts are preferably so dimensioned as to apply some compression to t e cushion 72 upon assembly, thus ensuring irm rings 80 at opposite ends, the bottle neck being receivable in one ring and the users linger engageable in the other to extract the bottle. Vhen the new bottle is inserted, the bottle neck will be guided into the spider aperture 26 and its lip 27 by its own weight and position itself properly therein.

The holder itself can have a variety of cross-sectional congurations including7 rectangular, square, circular, pentagonal, diamond and the illustrated generally elliptical form. The cam locking lever similarly is adaptable to a variety of casing congurations to provide a simple and easily manipulated closure member for replacing eX- pended bottles contained in the holder. As can be readily seen, upon removal of the bottom closure, the main container remains assembled so as to facilitate interchange.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A holder for aerosol bottles and like containers including a tubular casing having a longitudinally extending aperture adjacent one end thereof and reversely bent ange portions on opposite sides of said one end providing lips spaced inwardly from the outer Wall of said casing; a peripherally extending cap on said one end of the casing; a spider member in said casing having a base portion extending transversely of the casing and a pair of arms extending along the side of said casing with the outer ends thereof secured between said lips and casing outer wall, said base portion having an aperture therein adapted to seat the upper portion of a bottle operatively assembled in said casing; a valve actuator slidably seated between said spider member base portion and cap for movement vertically of the casing, said actuator being adapted to receive the valve portion of an aerosol bottle received in said holder during operative assembly and having a discharge nozzle opening in said aperture in the casing; and a closure member for the other end of said casing.

2. A holder for aerosol bottles and like containers including a tubular casing having a longitudinally extending aperture adjacent one end thereof and reversely bent flange portions on opposite sides of said one end providing lips spaced inwardly from the outer Wall of said casing; a peripherally extending cap having a generally U-shaped cross-section secured on said one end of the casing; a spider member in said casing having a base portion extending transversely of the casing and a pair .of arms extending along the side of said casing with the outer ends thereof secured between said lips and casing outer Wall, said base portion having an aperture therein adapted to seat the upper portion of a bottle operatively assembled in said casing; a valve actuator slidably seated between said spider member base portion and cap for movement vertically of the casing, said actuator having laterally extending ngers thereon engageable with the inner ends of the cap to limit movement of the actuator outwardly of the casing, said actuator having a. valve stem receiving portion adapted to receive the valve portion of an aerosol bottle received in said holder during operative assembly and having a discharge passage extending from said valve stem receiving portion and opening in said aperture in the casing for discharge of the contents of a bottle received therein, a closure member for the other end of said casing; and a resilient cushion for spacing a bottle from the closure member.

3. A holder for aerosol bottles and like containers including a tubular casing having a longitudinally extending aperture adjacent one end thereof and reversely bent ange portions on opposite sides of said one end providing lips spaced inwardly from the outer Wall of said casing; a peripherally extending cap on said one end of the casing;

a spider member in said casing having a base portion extending transversely of the casing and a pair of arms extending along the side of said casing with the outer ends thereof secured between said lips and casing outer wall, said base portion having an aperture therein adapted to seat the upper portion of a bottle operatively assembled in said casing; a valve actuator slidably seated between said spider member base portion and cap for movement vertically of the casing, said actuator being adapted to receive the valve portion of an aerosol bottle received in said holder during operative assembly and having a discharge nozzle openinfy in said aperture in the casing; a closure member for the other end of said casing having a bottom wall extending transversely of the casing; a cam locking lever pivotally mounted on the inner surface of said bottom wall, said casing wall having at least one slot therein adjacent its bottom end in which an end of said cam locking lever is engageable upon pivotal movement thereof; `and means on the outer surface of said bottom wall to effect pivotal movement of said cam locking lever.

4. A holder for aerosol bottles and like containers including a tubular casing having a longitudinally extending aperture adjacent one end thereof and reversely bent llange portions on opposite sides of said one end providing lips spaced inwardly from the outer wall of said casing; a peripherally extending cap having a generally U-shaped cross section secured on said one end of the casing; a spider member in said casing having a base portion extending transversely of the casing and a pair of arms extending along the side of said casing with the outer ends thereof secured between said lips and casing outer wall, said base portion having an aperture therein adapted to seat the upper portion of a bottle operatively assembled in said casing; a valve actuator slidably seated between said spider member base portion and cap for movement vertically of the casing, said actuator having laterally extending lingers thereon engageable with the inner end of the cap to limit movement of the actuator outwardly of the casing, said actuator having a valve stem receiving portion adapted to receive the valve portion of an aerosol bottle seated in said holder during operative assembly and having a discharge passage extending from said valve stem receiving portion and opening in said aperture in the casing for discharge of the contents of a bottle received therein; a closure member for the other end of said casing having a bottom wall extending transversely of the casing; a cam locking lever pivotally mounted on the inner surface of said bottom wall, said casing Wall having at least one slot therein adjacent its bottom end in which an end of said cam locking lever is engageable upon pivotal movement thereof; means on the outer surface of said bottom wall to effect pivotal movement of said cam 1ock ing lever; and a resilient cushion for spacing a bottle received in said holder from the closure member and cam locking lever to permit free pivotal movement thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,991,946 2/35 Knutson 220-40 2,480,578 8/ 49 Hodges 220-40 X 2,700,578 1/55 Etford 222-394 X 2,756,105 7/56 Magill 222-394 X 2,766,072 10/56 Commarato 222-173 X 2,940,641 6/60 Norrish et al. 222-183 2,966,283 12/60 Darvie 222-183 3,039,659 6/ 62 Sagarin. 3,101,160 8/63 Picot 222-183 FOREIGN PATENTS 775,479 10/ 34 France.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primazy Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

1. A HOLDER FOR AEROSOL BOTTLES AND LIKE CONTAINERS INCLUDING A TUBULAR CASING HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING APERTURE ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF AND REVERSELY BENT FLANGE PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ONE END PROVIDING LIPS SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER WALL OF SAID CASING; A PERIPHERALLY EXTENDING CAP ON SAID ONE END OF THE CASING; A SPIDER MEMBER IN SAID CASING HAVING A BASE PORTION EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE CASING AND A PAIR OF ARMS EXTENDING ALONG THE SIDE OF SAID CASING WITH THE OUTER ENDS THEREOF SECURED BETWEEN SAID LIPS AND CASING OUTER WALL, SAID BASE PORTION HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN ADAPTED TO SEAT THE UPPER PORTION OF A BOTTLE OPERATIVELY ASSEMBLED IN SAID CASING; A VALVE ACTUATOR SLIDABLY SEATED BETWEEN 